Elevator



Patented May 8, 1923.

UNITED sTAr s 1,454,193 PATENT oFF-lca.

an 11. moms, or HOUSTON, TEXAS.

ELEVATOR.

Application filed February 5, 1921. Serial No. 442,860.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be 'it known that I, AVERY H. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear,'and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a pertains to make and use the same.

y invention relates to elevators for use in raising and lowering pipes, rods, etc., in wells. It is particularly designed as an 1mprovement in elevators supported by butone bail.

Ordinarilyin the use of elevators with but one bail, in handling pipe or drill stem, wherein there are couplings or tool joints of somewhat larger diameter than the pipes being handled, it is found that the bail and the hook catch 'on the lower shoulder of the joint and prevent the elevator from sliding up to its proper position on the pipe so as to i obtain a secure hold directly below the oint.

The object of my invention is to provide an elevator with a one bail suspension which will be ca able of automatic lateral adjustment to al ow the bail and hook to pass the coupling or tool joint and thus assure the proper working of the elevator at all times.

Another object is to provide an elevator in which the pipe or rod will have a slight lateral play to assist in adapting the tool to efiicient operation under varylng conditions.

Other objects and advantages of construction and operation will more clearly appear in'the description which follows.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals of reference are applied like parts in both the views, Fig. 1 is a s de elevation of a pipe or drill stem showing my improved elevator attached thereto, part of said elevator being in central vertical section. Fig. 2 is a side view of the elevator block showing the bail broken off.

The-elevator in Fig. 1 is shown as attached to a pipe 1 which is secured to an upper section by means of'a' tool-joint 2, the lower end of which forms a shoulder 3.

The elevator block is similar in construction to" thatd is closed in my copending application, Serial No. 428,582, filed December 6th, 1920. It has an oblong block 4, having a pipe receiving recess 5 which is closed by a latch 6 pivoted on a pin 7 at one end. It has two lateral trunnions 8 which are received in the slots or openings 9 in the lower arms of a ball, 10, supported by a hook 13 secured to a traveling block, not shown. Washers or plates 11 on the ends of the trunn1ons 8 are secured in place by set screws 12 and serve to prevent detachment of the hail from the trunnions.

The pipe receiving recess 5 is cylindrical and of the same diameter as the pipe from the upper face of the block 4 down to below the latch 6, from which point it flares outwardly to provide a bell-shaped lower end to allow a slight lateral swing or play of the pipe relative to the block.

In the operation of elevators of the one bail suspension type now known in the oil fields, the objection to them which prevents thelr satisfactory use is the fact that the hook 13 Wlll wedge or catch below the shoulder 3 on the joint or coupling 2 and prevent the sliding of the elevator block upwardly to catch below the shoulder 3 as is necessary to obtain a secure hold on the pipe. Thus when it is desired to raise the plpe for couphng the same at the joints, the elevator block is latched about the pipe at a point below the coupling and the cable wound up to raise the hook 13 and the elevator 4 so that the elevator will slide up the pipe against the shoulder 3. As the pipe 1 is heavy and hangs vertically downwards and as the hook 13 assumes a position in the center of the upper loop of the hail the hook is wedged between the bail and the pipe so that when it hits the shoulder 3 it cannot pass but catches there. But I find by providing a slot 9 to receive the trunnions of the elevator I can allow the bail to tip laterally relative to the block 4, as shown in Fig. 1 and thus let the hook pass the coupling 2 and avoid its catching at that point. This construction also allows the block 6 to rock on its trunnions in the usual manner and this combined rocking on its trunnions and the lateral play relative to the bail, illustrated in Fig. 1, entirely obviates the usual difiiculty with one bail suspension and makes it a practical tool. There may also be a slight lateral play of the pipe in the elevator block due to the flaring lower end of the pipe receiving recess 5, in an obvious manner. This combination of advantageous features is thought to be new.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is;

1. In an elevator bf the class described, an elevator block, straight laterally extending trunnions thereon and a bail havin elongated openings in'the lower ends thereo to receive said trunnions, said openings being of uniform width and rounded at the upper and lower ends to allow a rocking of said block therein for the pur e described. 2. In an elevator of the c ass described, anelevator block, laterally extending cylindrical trunnions thereon, and a bail having elongated o enin in the lower ends thereof to allow said cylindrical trunnions vertical.

elevator block, laterally extending trunnions thereon, a single bail having elongated openings in the lower ends to receive said trunnions and to allow lateral movement of the upper end of said bail and to permit simultaneous rotation of said trunnions therein.

4. In an elevator of the class described, an elevator block, laterally extending trunnions thereon, a single bail having slots therein to receive said trunnions whereby said block has a pivoted movement on said trunnions at any point along said slot and a vertical movement of said trunnions relative to said AVERY H. THOMAS. 

